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The National Energy Board (NEB) has announced that it will, for the first time, review upstream and downstream GHG emissions from the Energy East pipeline project.
According to Équiterre Senior Director Steven Guilbeault, who is closely following the oil and gas infrastructure project approval process, there is no way that Energy East will make it through a rigorous analysis with these criteria. “Of course, we’ll have to see how the NEB measures these emissions, but in my opinion, this is the beginning of the end of the project.”
The other good news is that the NEB will also be analyzing the project’s impact on oil demand in Canada and on the fight against climate change at both the provincial and federal levels. At COP21 Paris, Canada committed to reducing GHG emissions by 30% below 2005 levels by 2030 and in December established its first-ever pan-Canadian climate plan, which was endorsed by 11 provinces and territories. Given that Quebec uses 300,000 barrels per day (1 barrel = 159 L) and that the Energy East pipeline would carry 1.1 million barrels per day, the project is mostly destined for external markets.
#GetNEBright
All this comes at a time when the federal government is reviewing the NEB’s mandate.
There are just a few days left to call on your MP to fix the NEB and restore our trust in this institution!
#GetNEBright : write to your MP
You could call on the federal government to eliminate costly (and useless) fossil fuel subsidies, too!
